When Linda Royle opened up her returned carry-on suitcase, she was disgusted to find not only her personal possessions missing, but several items — like two toiletry bags, a ticket scanner and a knife — were now in her bag.Royle said her suitcase had been waylaid during a stopover at Toronto Pearson International Airport in late March. When it was returned to her, she said she was initially pleased to have her belongings back.
But her relief soon turned to frustration.”It was shocking, like, I flipped it open and I unzipped the side and I’m there like ‘What?’… I couldn’t believe it,”Air Canada initially refused to compensate the Newfoundland woman, but told CBC News in a statement Thursday that it had looked at her case again and would contact Royle to “finalize her claim.”Royle says hundreds of dollars’ worth of shoes, books, medication and clothing were missing, but in their stead were items she didn’t own, like two old shaving kits, which included personal hygiene items like nail clippers, small scissors, shaving items, a comb, body wash, floss and toothpaste.
Her carry-on luggage also now included a knife and a man’s boarding pass dated April 2020, she said.There was also a scanner device, similar to the ones airports use to check boarding passes.”You feel violated,” said Royle. “Somebody … literally picked through all of my personal belongings to see what they wanted.”
She said finding those unwanted items in their place is “bizarre.”